Diamond Gear Solid: Ashes of Gems
by Potat0s0Verlord
Summary: When a soldier finds himself in the middle of a global war in a world not his own, and the enemy consists of rock women, what does a dog of war do? Whatever he does, the universe will never be the same. From Parasites to Gems, this Diamond Dog will have his hands full while dealing with terrifyingly familiar events...
1. Chapter 1

**PROLOGUE:** WARPED

 **A Potat0s0verlord production…**

* * *

"Beginning test! All unauthorized personnel, please exit the testing ground!" the voice echoed from the intercom's speakers. Men in military fatigues cleared out from the platform, sans two soldiers. One was female, her face wrinkled with age and stress. Her hair was a ashened grey that contrasted her dark skin, tied into a bun on the back of her head. She was missing her right eye, in its place was three long scars. The other soldier, a male in what appeared to be a bio-suit of some kind. His head was covered with a gas mask like headgear. Light grey body armor adorned his body along with several bright blue capsules attached to the armor.

* * *

 **Based off Hideo Kojima's** _ **Metal Gear**_ **franchise and Rebecca Sugar's** _ **Steven Universe**_ **.**

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this, _moy sled_?" the woman asks the man.

" _Da,_ Snow Falcon. I'm not that sixteen year old kid I was before. Besides, I think America's legal age of draft is eighteen. As far as the death certificate is concerned, I'm still American," the man answered, adjusting the MkII Parasite suit's straps.

Falcon snorted. "Shame you didn't grow out that smart mouth, Little Bat."

Bat shrugged. He grabbed the assault rifle on the table, loading up on a couple of clips. Holstering the rifle to his hip, and checking his secondary firearm, a WU handgun with both tranquilizer ammo and lethal rounds, along with a built in silencer.

"Boss on deck!"

Both soldiers quickly turned to face a newcomer and saluted.

"Boss!" they both said in unison.

"At ease," the man said. With his eyepatch on his right eye, and a piece of shrapnel in his skull like a horn, Venom Snake glanced at the two, then to the device behind them. A large circular platform with large spires pointing upwards into the sky, hooked up to several generators.

The Instant Deployment Warp. A device, that if successful in testing, could change the outcome of troop deployment everywhere.

"Little Bat, huh? Never expected you to jump at the chance at testing new gear," Snake said.

"A lot has changed in two years, Boss," Bat replied as patted the left side of his chest.

Snake nodded. "So it has."

" _Rain approaching_ ," Snake's iDroid stated in monotone, the sky greying.

"Come on. Let's get going, Falcon," Snake said, turning to leave. Falcon started to walk with Big Boss, but look back.

"May luck be with you, Cole. _Mozhete li vy zhit', chtoby svetit'._ "

" _Prakh k almazov, navsegda,_ " Little Bat replied.

* * *

 **Guest starring the PMC "Diamond Dogs".**

* * *

Little Bat gazed upon the platform, stepping on the glassy metal floor of the device. Turning back to face the observation deck, he gives the hidden observers a thumbs up.

"Activating primary power!" the intercom spoke.

The platform began to glow a sky blue, the tips of the spires cut through the dark with red lights. Little drops of rain drizzled down softly, creating a ghostly hue around the IDW.

In the observation deck, Snow Falcon watched the spectacle with a steely fixation. Years as a trained assassin has taught her to always be observant, and watch for clues to what will happen. With her peripherals, she read the monitors and charts to see if anything seemed out of the ordinary. She noticed how the rain fell, how there was no wind. Her eye darted towards a scientist typing on his keyboard.

"Coordinates set. Priming firing mechanism," the scientist said, turning a dial.

"Shouldn't we hold off on this test until this storm passes?" Snake asked.

"Relax Boss. There's nothing to worry about. All the internal components are water tight, and everything is running smoothly…"

"Boss! We got a problem!" a technician said in the back. Snake eyed the scientist with a raised eyebrow.

"... I stand corrected," he muttered, getting up and heading to the back. "What's the problem?"

"The computer isn't finishing its cycle. The stabilizers are looping from finishing priming to power down. I barely noticed it until I realized the green light isn't turning on after the generators powered up."

The scientist looked at the screen, frowning. His eyes suddenly widened.

"Power down the pad, now!" he shouted.

Quick as a blink, Snake was on the keyboard, typing in commands into the computer with fingers flying over the buttons. Prompt after prompt, click after clack, the entire observation deck was franticly trying to turn off the IDW. Snow Falcon reached for the microphone.

"Cole, get off the platform, now!" she shouted in the intercom.

"Speakers are offline somehow, along with some other functions! I think we're being hacked!" the technician said franticly.

"Shit!" Falcon cursed.

"Kill the power!" Snake ordered.

"Roger!" the technician said, flipping a red switch.

Falcon turned her attention back to the platform. Little Bat was still on the potentially lethal IDW, standing idly. Oblivious to what was happening.

"I thought we had trained you better than this," she seethed. Grabbing her coat, she ran out of the observation deck, running down flights of stairs. Floor after floor, she reached the door. Slamming her fist on the button, the door hissed open, exposing her to the elements. The storm had intensified, now a raging downpour. She sprinted towards the IDW, her clothes already soaked.

The sky flashed.

She called out to him.

A second too late.

Gone with the lightning, a bright blue beam stole him away into the sky in the blink of an eye.

Karin, aka Snow Falcon, could only stand there, the cruel storm above laughing with thunderous voices.

" _A staff member has gone MIA."_

* * *

 **Featuring Rose's Dangerous Defective Pearl.**

* * *

Cole blinked. One second, he was on the warp pad in Mother Base's new Test Platform, then the next thing the soldier knew, he was in the middle of a forest, surrounded by unfamiliar trees. It was nighttime, and the moon shone brightly above. Crickets chirped among the grass.

"Did it work?" Cole asked himself. He pulled up his iDroid. "CP, this is Charlie-Five. Do you copy?"

No response.

"CP, please respond."

Static.

"Boss?"

No answer.

Cole sighed. "Just great. Lost in unknown territory, without any sustaining rations, some ammo, and no signal…"

Lights illuminated the treeline. Cole quickly dove behind a rock, taking cover. Best if he doesn't get spotted. Diamond Dogs aren't exactly a lay-low private force, and most of the soldiers have capture or kill bounties placed on them. Mainly by Cipher, a shadowy organization with an even more hidden agenda.

"Find the defect!" a female(?) voice called out, "It couldn't have gone far!"

From the forest, a skinny figure stumbled into Cole's field of view. It looked female, and she was holding a broken sword in her hand that hung limply. She wore a light blue one piece that went down to the middle of her thighs, and a frilly light blue skirt flowed down from her waist. It reminded Cole of a ballerina of sorts… if, of course, they carried deadly weapons. Perhaps he landed right in the middle of an escape attempt?

Lights shone on the woman, who recoiled from the sudden brightness.

"Found her!" another female voice shouted. The remaining lights turned to shine upon the woman, who know Cole could clearly see. Her skin was pale beyond belief, and there was a strange object on her forehead. There was a small crack on the object, but barely noticeable.

Several figures marched out from the treeline, all manner of weapons in their hands. The five new figures were short enough so that they could be mistaken for children, their square hairstyle and reddish skin contrasting to the shaded greenery. They, too, had objects on their body like the first woman, but now as Cole looks at them even closer, he could see that they are indeed gemstones. Rubies to be precise. One of the red figures pointed a square knife at the anorexic woman.

"Surrender now, defect! Maybe you won't be shattered!"

"Like hell!" the woman shouted. "I'll take you on!"

The soldier chuckled. "As if a pearl could fight! You don't have your master to save you now!"

"Well, this pearl managed to take down half your squad before the Quartzes showed up!"

Cole noticed the soldiers' reactions. A slight twitch of the mouth, the shortening of the face. The woman insulted them, and now they will disregard orders of capture and attempt to shatter the pearl.

How does he know?

To be honest, he doesn't even know how, either. One thing is for sure though, and that Cole needs to do something, or the escapee will die. He needed to extract the target… and he had just the tools to do so.

* * *

 **Enemy Combatants: Pink Diamond Ruby Squad**

* * *

Mist began to blanket the clearing. The Rubies looked around confused. Little grey particles floated in the dreary fog, which thickened with each second. The moonlight dimmed, restricting visibility with the blanket of mystery.

"This must be another rebel's doing! Find the defects!" the commander ordered.

"Roger!" a Ruby replied.

"Stay within shouting distance!" the commander added.

"Got it!" another replied.

"Yes ma'am!" the third said.

"Okay!" the fourth called out.

"What's that?" the fifth asked.

The commander sighed. "Stay within shouting distance! The defect might not yet poof and can still fight!"

Silence.

"I'll take that as you understand!"

The commander readied her knife. Slowly, she crept through the strange mist. To her, an experienced veteran of all sorts of searching parties, she could tell something was wrong. Fog when a Sapphire didn't predict such a thing happening? From the corner of her eye, she saw sudden movement. Shining her gem placed on her forehead, she turned to face whatever it was.

A figure stood, silhouetted in the mist. It stood there, seemingly oblivious to the Ruby. She took a double take. The figure was much wider than the pearl, like a Quartz. It seemed it hasn't noticed her. Crouching low, the commander crept towards her prey, who still showed no signs of acknowledgement to her presence. Too bad for it.

The Ruby leaped, letting out a battle cry. She thrusted her knife into the spine of the figure-

 _POP!_

The figure exploded into pieces of soft rubber. Confused, the Ruby looked around on the ground. Usually there is a gem lying on the ground after an enemy has been poofed… unless…

"Holograms!" the commander shouted, "They're using holograms!"

"Really?" the second Ruby called out from the mist.

"Yes! I've just encountered one!"

"I found another!" the third Ruby shouted.

 _POP!_

"Hologram down!"

"Got another in sight!" the fourth exclaimed.

 _POOF!_

The commanding Ruby groaned. If the other rebel could make so many decoys, this might take a while. At least the holograms are dumb enough to get close. Though, another thought nagged at the back of her mind. Why was it so easy?

 _POP!_

"Man! These things are easy to poof! I found two more!"

 _POOF!_

"Wait a minute…" the commander muttered. Now she slowly realized what was happening. She just needed to be sure.

"Rubies! Count off!"

"What does that even-"

 _POOF!_

With her fears confirmed, she summoned another knife from her gem. She looked around franticly, searching for some sort of way out, or her hunter. A tiny red light shined in her eye. Not exactly a gem light, but more of a pointer.

The Ruby felt a bead of sweat roll down her forehead. Her instincts screamed to move, to get out of the way, but fear had her snared. Frozen, she could only hope it would think of her as just a piece of landscape...

It danced across her chest until it slowly pointed itself right just above her gem.

The Ruby's eyes widened.

Then the world went black.

* * *

Pearl poked her head out from the stump she was hiding herself in. She was struggling to keep herself in a physical form, and her cracked gem wasn't helping anything. She needed to get to the rendezvous point so Rose could get her gem healed as soon as possible. Pearl wondered what went wrong. They had attacked another resource processing unit, just like planned until they realized too late it was a trap, albeit a poorly planned trap. Of course, Rose Quartz could handle herself perfectly fine against two squads of Rubies (and that is all that matters to Pearl), but when the Jaspers came, Pearl knew they would have a battle on their hands. She had gotten careless, caught up in her returning hubris after defeating two Jaspers. Then her gem was nicked by that Ruby's blade.

Her arm distorted, causing Pearl to hiss with pain. It was getting worse. At least she could try and get through the fog… which was now dispersing?

Pearl staggered upright. Five Rubies laid on the ground, their gemstones shining in the moonlight. Poofed. Every single last one of them.

 _Snap!_

Turning, Pearl pointed her sword at the sudden noise.

A humanoid stepped stopped mid-step, hands already raised. Its figure was… unsettling. Like a ghost, its grey clothing seemed to blend in with the twilight forest.

"Easy," it said, "I'm not going to hurt you."

Pearl scoffed. "As if I'm going to trust you just like that! You could be some sort of Homeworld special Quartz!"

The ghost sighed. "Look, if I was, I would have let those bozos take care of capturing you, a wounded combatant who can barely swing her blade."

"Oh yeah…?" Pearl growled. With a yell, she whipped her sword towards the figure.

Stepping in, it caught her wrist, breaking down her hand and twisting her arm. Pearl could feel her weight shift as she fell forwards. The ghost pulled her towards itself with a sudden jerk. The gem found herself on the ground, with a knife resting on her throat and pressure on her shoulder. Her arm was effectively pinned, and the ghost was in a position to poof her.

"My point stands," it said in a slightly humorous tone.

Pearl struggled, squirming under the ghost's weight. She managed to turn her head to get a look at it closer. Her eyes widened.

A colorless Diamond insignia.

"You liar! You're with White Diamond!" she shrieked.

"Who's White-"

 _THUD!_

"Pearl!" a voice called out to her. With the ghost knocked off her, Pearl rolled over to see who had saved her.

Rose Quartz.

"Rose…" she muttered, "that thing, it's with White Diamond!"

"Rest, Pearl. I'll handle it," Rose said with a tear in her eye, kneeling down to grab Pearl's hand.

Pearl smiled, and closed her eyes. The world faded to nothingness, all feelings numbed.

Poofed from existence.

* * *

Cole groaned, shaking his head to try and get the sense of vertigo out of his system. Slowly, he stood up with a stagger, trying to get a good look at his attacker. A large woman, much bigger than he was, was in the process of putting Pearl's gem in some sort of pink bubble. Tapping the top of the bubble, it vanished upwards, taking the gem who-knows where.

A little too familiar for the Diamond Dog's taste.

The woman got up, turning towards Cole.

"Impressive. Not many gems can stay stable after being caught unaware," she said. Her voice sounded sweet, yet had a edge to her tone. "Usually they poof after the first throw, unless they're some sort of elite Quartz."

"Last time I say it, I'm not a Quartz."

The woman laughed. "Oh? Here I thought comedy was a rarity in White Diamond's court!"

Cole's eyebrow twitched from under his mask.

"Listen, lady," Cole said, "I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Now, if you can please just not attack for a minute-"

Cole's hand shot up, armored with the Parasite's obsidian-like material, much to his surprise. He caught the pink shield that was thrown at him.

"What did I just say?!" Cole shouted, throwing the shield down on the ground.

The woman sighed. "Look, I get it. You're annoyed because you've been sent by miss prissy pants to go find Pink Diamond's mess and clean it up. Still, you don't have to try and act like some common gem!"

"For the last time I-"

"So let me just poof you really quick, then I take you to the nearest Galaxy Warp Pad, and you can go tell your Diamond that this planet is not to be a colony by the order of Rose Quartz!"

Cole mentally and physically groaned. How can this woman be so dense? Is it because of that gem on her naval?

"So, have anything to add?" Rose asked smugly.

"First off, I'm not this White Diamond's soldier. Secondly…" he trailed off. Suddenly, he charged at Rose Quartz, his entire body hardening with the Parasitic armor.

Rose sidestepped, summoning her shield and swung at Cole.

 _THUNK!_

Cole grabbed the newcomer's hand, a orange burly woman with huge white hair. Smacking the machete out of her hands, Cole kicked his heel into the gem's knee, bringing her down to a crouch. Half-swording the blade, he sawed the machete into her shoulder in one fluid motion. The gem gasped before her body vanished, just like those soldiers and that woman, Pearl.

Rose blinked, staring at Cole owled-eyed.

"... you need to work on your observational skills," he finished. Cole stabbed the machete in the ground.

Rose unsummoned her shield after a pause.

"You're not a Homeworld gem, are you?" she asked in realization.

Cole's armor dissipated.

"What have I been trying to tell you this past hour?! You and that pale ballerina!" he snapped, pointing an accusing finger at the pinkette.

Rose approached Cole. She glanced at his shoulder, looking at the emblem etched on his suit.

It was a diamond, but not the insignia that Homeworld soldiers use. Instead of a parallelogram on its tip, it was a round diamond on its side, with a point at the bottom. A skull with a hole on the top left corner of its forehead was in the center of the diamond. Wings sprouted from the skull, and the words "PHANTOM DIAMOND" were written below it. Its color scheme was mostly grey and black, like the uniform Cole wore. However, what was interesting was the fact that there were five gemstones at each point of the diamond.

Cole could tell that Rose wanted to ask about the diamonds, but before she could, they were interrupted by a loud drone.

"Seekers," Rose said quietly, "guess they really want to find us badly."

Cole groaned. Can this day get any worse?

Suddenly, he found himself inside a pink bubble. He turned to Rose, who looked sheepishly at him.

"Sorry, but this is the fastest way for you to get out of here," she apologized, "It would be better if you just poofed yourself to make the time go faster."

"Don't you even dare-"

Too late. She had already sent Cole away. Warped…

...again.

* * *

 **Potat0s0verlord presents…**

 **DIAMOND GEAR SOLID:**

 **Ashes of Gems.**

 **A story based on what-ifs, experience of MGSV:PP, theories and five cans of Red Bull.**


	2. Chapter 2

_"Boss. I know you're trying to find out what happened to Little Bat, but you have to focus. Getting prepared for Big Boss's sons will take a lot more than a couple more soldiers and a few post captures. Look, I get it. He was almost like a son to you, considering that you've never had a chance to have a biological family, but we have to move on. That's why I formed the Dogs Alive squad, to find our missing soldiers across the globe a long time ago. You need to get back to progressing the Big Boss's plan and stop worrying about him._

 _It's what Little Bat would want you to do."_

 _\- Audio log from Kazuhira Miller_

 **DIAMOND GEAR SOLID**

 **EPISODE ONE**

 **CHAPTER 1:** THE REBELLION

 **Starring: "Little Bat" Cole, the Dangerous Defective Pearl, and Rose Quartz.**

 **Enemy Combatants: Rebellion Soldiers.**

"-and try to fulton me!" Cole finished. He blinked. Looking around, Cole noticed he was in a very large room with pink bubbles scattered around him. Inside those bubbles, he saw all manner of unidentifiable gemstones. The soldier sighed, sitting upright in his prison. At least it was sized big enough for him to be comfortable. Cole did a quick equipment check: five clips of assault rifle ammo, three clips of tranquilizer, a clip of lethal ammo, two magazines, four decoys, and several spare Parasite containers…

That were cracked and empty.

" _Bylad_!" Cole shouted. Not only is his Parasite suit nearly useless now, he may have released a biological pathogen onto the planet that could potentially wipe out all organic life! Guess it did get worse, huh?

"What was that?" a voice said.

The door opened. Cole quickly went limp. When in doubt and in a prison, play dead.

"What's this now?" the newcomer asked with quiet curiosity. Cole felt his bubble sink down towards the ground. He got a good look at the woman who lowered him. Her skin was a icy blue, and her long flowing hair a snowy white mixed with a few strands of black spikey hair. She wore a grey jumpsuit of sorts, with a blue star on her chest. Her forehead bore a blue and black gem. She was also average height, just a head shorter than Cole.

"Strange… did Rose bring us some sort of prototype robot?" she questioned, popping the bubble.

'Big mistake,' thought Cole. Before he could act on the woman's foolishness, however, a new figure entered the room.

"Oi! Snowflake!" the figure shouted. Her tone was much more chipper than the calmness of the blue gem, and had a slight English accent.

Snowflake sighed. "Yes, Crazy Lace?"

Crazy Lace smiled. Her gem was placed on her right thigh, and orange and brown mix. Her skin was orange, and she had short earth-brown hair that stood messily. She boasted some impressive legs along with some pretty toned muscles. Her outfit was pretty simplistic, a sleeveless karate gi with stars on the knees.

"Just wondering what you're doing~." Crazy Lace sang in that cheerful voice. She looked at Cole, tilting her head. "What's that?"

"That's what I was trying to find out," Snowflake said cooly. She picked up Cole's assault rifle, looking down the barrel. "It must be important since Rose brought it here…"

Crazy Lace grabbed the gun out of Snowflake's hands excitedly. "Oh! What's this?"

'Did I remember to put the safety on?' Cole asked mentally as Crazy Lace's finger hovered over the trigger.

The orange gem released the magazine. Ammo clattered to the ground. Crazy Lace bent down to pick it up.

"Huh, what strange capsules. I wonder what they do-"

 _BANG!_

Crazy Lace jumped as her finger squeezed the trigger, throwing the magazine in fright. The spent cartridge was ejected by the action. Snowflake picked up the brass, and glanced at the bullet hole in the wall. Then, she glared at Crazy Lace with a look that could kill.

"Sorry!" Crazy Lace apologized.

'Idiots…' Cole thought. He was already half-tempted to take them both down before they screw with the rest of his gear, but he doesn't quite know what these two are capable of. Maybe if he's able to reach the smoke grenade on his harness…

Snowflake looked back at Cole. Her eyes regarded him for a moment.

"Now, how do we turn thing thing on, I wonder?" she asked… a little too suggestively for the soldier's tastes. Cole had to fight the blush under his mask despite how useless it was. Stay focused!

"Maybe one of those pin-things powers it up?" Crazy Lace suggested, pointing at one of the few grenades.

'You could say that!' Cole thought. He couldn't tell if she was pointing at the hand grenades, or some of his non-lethals. Fifty-fifty chance… but he's got to commit.

Snowflake reached down to grab one of the pins.

" _Flashbang,"_ Cole heard a distorted whisper.

'What?'

The gem pulled the pin.

The safety lever flew off.

Cole closed his eyes. Nothing to lose now...

 _BANG!_

"Gah!" he heard both gems scream.

Cole quickly shot up, his ears ringing. Not wanting to risk combat or even being detected, the soldier forced himself to leave his rifle behind. Making his way out the door, Cole found himself in a grand circular room, with pillars supporting large marble-like arches and. In the middle of the room was a light blue platform that stood less than a foot off the ground, surrounded by grey boxes. There were five doors lined up all around the room, each entryway has a different colored emblem on the door. He tried to push open a door.

Locked.

Cole tried the door next to it.

Locked again.

He tried it again a third time.

Still locked.

Cole snapped his head around. The gems inside the room he came out of are probably re-orientated. They are probably going to be as friendly as that Pearl woman after that stunt...

"Perfect," Cole said, looking at one particular spot.

* * *

Crazy Lace was the first to regain her senses. She shook her head to try to get the white spots cleared from her vision. Rolling over to her left, she rubbed the spot where her leg held the vital rock.

"Ugh, my gem is killing me!" she groaned. Slowly, Crazy Lace sat upright. Turning towards her comrade, she gasped.

Snowflake's form was glitching, albeit in small burst. Her arms bent and fizzled in grotesque positions, so much that Snowflake gasped in Lace went to go help her friend, but Snowflake held out a hand.

"I'm fine," she said with a painful tone, "just give me a moment…"

Sure enough, the wild reactions faded. Stabilized, Snowflake stood on shaky feet. She stumbled forward. Crazy Lace rushed in to catch her.

"Thanks," Snowflake mumbled.

"Hey, no problem," Crazy Lace replied with a smile, putting Snowflake's arm around her shoulder, "gotta make a few friends sometime, you know?"

Snowflake averted her eyes from the orange gem. "Right…"

'Crikey, I done did it again,' Crazy Lace thought, 'Quick! Change the subject, now!'

"Oi, where's the gem-thingy?" Crazy Lace asked quickly, "Don't know what kind of gem it was…"

"Strange… unless it didn't poof?" Snowflake suggested.

"But that flash-"

"Was probably a distraction of sorts, perhaps some sort of experimental equipment."

Crazy Lace looked at Snowflake in shock. "You don't mean…?"

"I do," Snowflake replied. With her free hand, Snowflake pointed at the Wailing Stone. "Need to alert the rest of the gems. Rose should be back soon…"

"... So we need to hold out and keep the intruder inside before then!" Crazy Lace finished.

Carrying Snowflake, Crazy Lace helped her towards the communication device. Snowflake pushed away from Crazy Lace, insisting that she can walk on her own now. Pressing the button on top of the Stone, Crazy Lace took a deep breath. Hopefully someone's there…

"Yes?" the Stone answered, "This is Pearl."

"Pearl, we… might have a problem," Crazy Lace said.

"... Please tell me that you didn't bubble yourself again?" Pearl asked in a annoyed tone.

"No! It's urgent and-"

Snowflake stepped in. "A bubbled humanoid escaped. I thought it was some sort of training dummy."

Pearl audibly sighed. "Snowflake! You know you shouldn't unbubble anything inside the bubble room without Rose nearby!"

"Never seen a humanoid like this," Snowflake explained, "strange mask, grey skin."

A pause. Crazy Lace fidgeted. She knew what that silence would entail.

"What emblem did it have?" Pearl asked. Snowflake sensed that irritating, condescending tone.

"Not sure. Looked like a grey pentagon in the shape of a diamond."

Now the long pause.

"Y-you're not mad at us, are you?" Crazy Lace stuttered.

Silence… then,

"Oh, I'm not mad at you," Pearl said with an audibly clenched jaw, "just find it before it escapes…"

"Got it!" Crazy Lace shouted, slamming the button down a little too quickly.

Both gems looked at each other. Snowflake shook her head with disappointment. Crazy Lace chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of her head.

"We should start looking," Snowflake mused, "it couldn't have gotten far, seeing how most of the doors are gem-locked… but it could have gotten out via warp pad."

"Good thing I remembered to change the settings to only internal facilities, eh?"

"More like luckily…"

Crazy Lace gasped.

"How could you say something like that?" she asked, dramatically feining insult by turning her head away and putting her hand on her forehead, "Are you implying that I am but a careless, inadequate gem in the eyes of the universe?"

"Remember the Icepack incident?" Snowflake deadpanned.

"That was an accident!" Crazy Lace snapped, glaring at the gem.

"Then what about the self-bubbling?"

"But I was learning how to bubble a gem-"

"Yesterday? A ninety-year veteran?"

Crazy Lace snapped her jaw shut.

Both gems exited the bubble room. Snowflake investigated each shadowy spot one by one in a pattern, her gem light casting away the darkness in the poorly illuminated room. Her eyes scanned left to right whatever the light revealed with a professional inquisitiveness. A forever watchful white owl looking for its mouse in the snow with a cold glare.

Crazy Lace, on the other hand, hopped around randomly. Poking her head behind stacks of crates and lifting decrepit statues to see what's behind them, she grew bored of the search. Like a small child on Easter that may or may not have raided their older sibling's stache of energy drinks, she started to crash to a slow crawl. With her motivation gone, Crazy Lace needed to find something else to work on.

The warp pad hummed, then whistled as a bright light shot up from the platform. Pearl stood in the middle of the pad. She now had a pink top on, with the usual blue leggings and frilly skirt. Pearl's face, however, betrayed the grace and beauty of her outfit. A face that the duo sees a little too often.

"Please tell me you found that _thing_ , Snowflake?" Pearl asked in a annoyed tone, stepping off the warp pad.

Snowflake shook her head. "No, Pearl. Strange enough, it seems the intruder has just… disappeared."

"Just great!" Pearl shouted, "First the botched raid, and now this! I swear, this keeps getting worse and worse!"

"What do you suggest we do?"

"First…" Pearl pointed at Crazy Lace. "You are going to take these supplies to the Forge. They are distracting and I can't focus on the task at hand with this mess!"

Crazy Lace saluted. She started to lift crates of materials on the platform. Better than dealing with "Salt Mode" Pearl, a nickname birthed from the rumor that Rose's Pearl was indeed made of salt when she was created.

"Suggestions, Pearl?" Snowflake asked.

Pearl sighed. "Only thing we can do is just scour the base for any signs of intruders, room by room."

Snowflake shook her head yet again. "Too time consuming if we do it together. Spit up, looking for doors that have been meddled with?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"Ugh! This one feels a little funny!" Crazy Lace called out, lifting a brown box up on the warp pad.

"Careful!" Pearl called out, "One of those crates could be the experimental metal we borrowed from the Cutter!"

Crazy Lace chuckled. "Borrowed, she says…"

Pearl rolled her eyes. Of course, Crazy Lace couldn't resist giving the second in command some criticism. "Borrowing" was the polite and proper noble's code for stealing a shipment of necessary materials to operate and expand a complete planetary revolution movement. Sure, they destroy priceless spires of Homeworld elites, but heaven forbid they impolitely steal!

Loading the last crate on the pad, Crazy Lace sighed. Pearl and Snowflake were off to find that intruder. Of course, not all was gloom. As the gem activated the warp pad, she was greeted with the smell of sulfuric gas, the sense of excitement-

Something grabbed Crazy's throat. Feeling her weight shift down, the gem found herself staring at a black knife blade pointed right below her collar.

"Let's get straight to the point," the ghost said, "You. Information. Now."

"... Are you interrogating me?" Crazy Lace asked innocently.

"Yes. Now, are you going answer my questions, or am I going to have to cut our talk short?"

"No…?"

"Good," it replied, "for starters, where are we right now?"

"The Forge."

"... I need a bit more specific information than that."

"What, do you need what planet you're on?"

Crazy Lace winced as the knife's edge dug into her body.

"Earth!" she called out, "Gem colony! Don't poof me! I'll never hear the end of it from her, and Pearl will double my training!"

"Her?" the ghost asked in confusion.

"Yeah, her!" Crazy Lace exclaimed, pointing her finger at the end of the pathway.

The figure was one of a much stockier build. Dressed in a blacksmith's apron with a dark blue star on her midriff, the gem's multi-colored dreadlocks flowed down to her shoulders. Her gem was as colorful as her hair, with its inverted pyramid-like structure in her chest. She tapped her boot, those large arms crossed. An eyebrow raised, the gem looked at the scene with annoyance mixed with curiosity.

"... Well," the ghost muttered, "looks like I done goofed."

"You think?" the large gem asked.

"Hi Bismuth!" Crazy Lace waved her free hand.

Bismuth shook her head. "Crazy Legs, quit screwing around and show me what you've been working on. I know you can get out of that easy."

'Oh, right!' she thought. Grabbing the hand with the knife, Crazy Lace rolled the arm down her chest. Shooting her legs up, the gem flipped over the ghost's head. Bringing its arm over its head, Crazy Lace planted her feet into the back of her attacker.

The ghost fell forward, face first into the dirt. It gasped in pain as its shoulder audibly cracked. Crazy Lace drove her knees into the spine, pinning the ghost onto the black, ashy gravel.

"Well, looks like you're right, Crazy," Bismuth said, kneeling down to look at the ghost's face, "grappling does work as well as strikes."

"Thanks! Though, looks like this one can't shapeshift!"

The ghost's breath was labored. Each breath it took sounded like a yelp of pain, wheezing in and out. Bismuth raised an eyebrow. Crazy Lace noticed the gem's confusion.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Get off this thing for a moment," Bismuth said.

Crazy Lace complied. Bismuth's hand shifted into a large hammer. She pointed it at the ghost.

"You're going to answer some questions, intruder," Bismuth threatened, "and if I do not find the answers to my question satisfactory, I will test my new weapons on you for years on end."

"Let me… fix arm," it said with a wavering tone.

The ghost rolled over, a small hiss vibrated through its mask. Sitting up, it grabbed its limp arm and threw it on its lap. The shoulder looked plain wrong, completely different than that of the left side. Lifting up the mask covering its mouth, the ghost reached into one of the smaller pockets on its leg. Crazy Lace watched carefully. Who knew what tricks this thing has up its sleeve?

The ghost pulled out a thick piece of leather. It raised the piece to its mouth, biting down hard on the processed animal hide. Then, it rotated its limp arm with the only working limb the ghost has. A tense silence had Crazy deaf, the pause the ghost took was one of bracing.

 _Crack-Pop!_

A muted scream startled both gems. The ghost slowly moved its arm, winding it forward and backwards.

"Looks like you're not a normal gem if you got limbs to break," Bismuth said.

"What makes you think I'm a gem?" the ghost hissed. It flexed its hand into a fist, then relaxed.

"I'm the one asking the questions here," Bismuth reminded the ghost, "What are you?"

"Human," it replied.

"Liar!" she snapped back, "Then what is that gem on your shoulder?"

"You mean the diamonds?"

Instantly, both gems' eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. Bismuth's hammer shifted back into a normal hand, then leaned forward, looking at the gemstones on the emblem. Crazy Lace had to slap herself twice to get her jaw shut. The ghost glanced between the two, backing away slightly from Bismuth.

"Did I say something offensive?"

Bismuth just shook her head, backing away. "No, just a little surprising. I take that back, you are human, albeit a strangely-skinned one…"

"This is just a uniform. Trust me, I look different than this," the human said, peeling off the strange grey cloth and black mask that covered its face.

After a long silence, Crazy Lace commented on the revelation.

"You're right, it's even weirder."

* * *

"What do you mean?" Cole asked. 'She better not be a smartass right now.'

"I dunno, you just look… weird," she replied.

Cole sighed. "Just give me a damned mirror, then!"

To his surprise, the large one reached into her glowing gem, and pulled out a handheld mirror. When will these gems ever not surprise him? Cole grabbed the mirror out of Bismuth's hands.

He froze.

"No…"

Cole stood up, his gaze fixated on the mirror.

The skin was deathly pale, his face was splotched with spots of grey. His left eye glowed a dull turquoise. Veins were as black as night. His hair, gone.

"No!"

Cole chucked the mirror at the rock wall, narrowly missing the orange gem.

"Wha-what's is the big idea here?!" Bismuth demanded with worry.

"I'm one of them!" Cole shouted madly, "I'm one of them!"

"One of who?" Bismuth asked again, grabbing his shoulders.

His vision started to blacken. Cole's mind couldn't take it much longer.

"Skull…" he muttered, just before darkness enveloped his vision.


	3. Chapter 3

" _Boss. I have good news… and bad news. Good news is that the infiltration was successful. We managed to get our hands on some of Cipher's data. The bad news is that these blueprints are too familiar._

 _They're almost an exact copy of our IDW._

 _Seems like they had the same idea as we did. What was even more unnerving was the fact that Cipher managed to get a crystal similar to ours. They managed to escape with the crystal before we attacked the facility. Boss… to think that there are more of those green shards out there that can completely alter our technology as we know it. If you see one, don't hesitate to get it back to Mother Base. It could be the matter of winning this war, or the world falling to Cipher."_

Audio log recorded by Revolver Ocelot.

 **DIAMOND GEAR SOLID**

 **EPISODE 1**

 **CHAPTER 2:** FIRST STEPS

 **Starring: "Little Bat" Cole, Rose Quartz, the Dangerous Defective Pearl, Snowflake Obsidian, Crazy Lace Agate, Bismuth.**

 **Enemy Combatants: Yellow Diamond Patrol Squads.**

When Cole awoke, he was greeted by two things: one was the worst bed ever conceived, and the second was the lingering soreness of his body. Slowly sitting up from the lumpy "bed", a slab of unfinished marble with some grass laid messily on the rock, Cole checked his kit. He was stripped from all of his gear, save his iDroid and binoculars. Still, he's counting himself lucky that he is clothed. Cole took off his glove, greeted by the pale-grey skin tone. He sighed.

"Guess it wasn't a dream," he muttered solemnly as he re-applied the glove to his hand. Cole wiped his forehead. They didn't put the mask back on.

He's going to need it for a while...

The door creaked open. Cole glanced up. It was the monochrome gem from before. The one that pulled the flashbang on herself. Snowflake, was it?

"You're awake," she said in her monotone. Snowflake gestured for Cole to follow. "Come."

Cole stood up, striding out the door after the gem. He noticed how different this place was. Instead of the fancy marble of the previous base Cole was taken too, this one was more stone-like and sandy. A little run down, it seemed like, or just freshly built.

"Old human settlement," Snowflake explained, as if she had read his thoughts, "Homeworld wiped out those who did not flee fast enough."

Cole looked down at the skull by the old pots. He scowled.

"Take it this is not your home?" she asked.

"What gave you that idea?" Cole responded.

Snowflake shrugged. "Only human colony that had learned some of our language. You speak perfect Gem."

Cole shook his head. It feels like he was talking to one of H.P. Lovecraft's creations. No wonder the guy was considered insane...

"Mind if I ask some questions, then?" Cole asked.

Snowflake nodded.

"Where is my gear?" First priority, get his stuff back. Cole was not about to let the timestream go out of whack. He knew that he was thrown into the past, much less a new world. He's seen and heard of weirder tales from the old MSF soldiers. Might as well make it as less screwy as it is now.

"Locked up. Pearl is keeping it until she decides you're not a threat."

Of course…

"Though, Rose was surprised when she found out you were human… although, your eye seems too alien."

Cole growled. "You don't need to remind me."

If Snowflake was bothered by the animalistic gesture, she didn't show it. Instead, the gem opted to keep that stone-cold face of stoicism. Snowflake stopped at the cave opening, beckoning Cole to come. He obliged, taking in the arid air.

"Afghanistan," he said.

"What?" Snowflake asked.

Cole bit back a curse. "Reminds me of a place I used to go."

"Ah."

They both looked out into the desert sunset. The Diamond Dog felt nostalgic. Those two years entrenched in sand dunes, the countless raids on Russian outposts, infiltrating the military base to break out the man who took care of him the first months of his hell…

Cole noticed something treading along the horizon. He squinted, making out the two large figures marching on the dunes.

"Patrol," Snowflake explained, pointing towards the South West, "There's an outpost over there. We are going to attack it this sunrise to obtain materials to get a foothold in this sector. Unfortunately, it will take time to get the troops together."

The soldier frowned. Troops to take an outpost? As in more than one? "How big is this outpost?"

"If we have the past battles to go off of, about four Rubies and a Quartz, probably a Jasper and rarely an Amethyst. Then you have the patrolling Quartzes going around the area by land," she said.

Cole thought for a moment. Why did this feel so familiar somehow?

"Why don't you sneak in and neutralize the enemy silently?" Cole questioned, "Pretty sure a lone operative could easily take out some grunts and a specialist without a hitch, take the supplies, and get out."

"Gem detectors," Snowflake said, "We'd be spotted before we approach the outpost. New technology, but effective. Once we attack, reinforcements will come-"

Cole chuckled. Snowflake looked at him with confusion, tilting her head.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing…"

Bullshit, but Cole is determined to have some fun with this gem.

Snowflake's eyebrows shifted. "Why do I feel like you're trying to tell me something?"

"Oh, no no no! It's nothing, really!" Cole said using his most subtle sarcasm. "It's just that is seems like you're just going to have to extend the upcoming raid into a battle. But hey, it's not like there's something that can get past the gem detectors, right?"

"You're right. You'd have to be organic," Snowflake said.

Cole made a gesture for her to continue.

She tilted her head.

He pointed at himself.

The gem blinked. "Oh."

"Oh indeed."

Snowflake put her thumb to her chin. "It would be a smart idea, but for a normal human to attack a gem outpost…"

"I'm not like the rest," Cole stated. His left hand covered his left eye. Cole could still remember how his eye glowed that eerie light. "Not with this."

The Diamond Dog could still remember the day he first encountered one of those monsters in battle…

* * *

" _Wait," a soldier ordered, holding up his hand in a fist. Cole stopped, scanning the area with his rifle primed. He could feel a small bead of sweat roll down his forehead from the scorching sun._

" _What is it, Osprey?" another soldier asked in a low voice. She checked the corner they came from to make sure there wasn't any stragglers following them._

" _Something's not right…" Osprey said._

 _Cole noticed a small bead of light dancing across the back of Osprey's head._

" _Sniper!" he shouted. Cole quickly pushed Osprey out of the way._

 _THUNK!_

* * *

Cole looked at the ground. His knife was stuck into the sand. He glanced up at Snowflake, but she already was gone, retreating inside one of the makeshift buildings. Sighing, he grabbed the knife by the handle and yanked it out of the ground. Sheathing the blade, he looked out towards where Snowflake pointed out where the outpost should be at.

"Guess I should get to it, then."

With that, Cole headed out into the desert night.

* * *

Snowflake watched the human leave. To be honest, she did not know why she decided to give the ghost its weapon back. Her rationality screamed that it would be impossible for a human to overtake a gem outpost. They were much too fragile, and too primitive to take on Homeworld's armada. Yet, her instincts say to let the human do as it wishes. She could see two possible outcomes: One was that the human failed, died, and Snowflake won't have to worry about dealing with the organic. The second, however, was much more promising. If the human can prove itself able to take out Homeworld outposts with gem detectors, then the organic would be a viable ally for stealth missions. Who knows, maybe it will prove even sufficient in combat.

Yet a more personal thought passed through her head like a cloud's shade on a sunny day. What did it mean by "one of them"? What do skulls have to do with anything?

She shook her head. Now was not the time to dwell on such things. Snowflake had a squad to prepare. Approaching the Wailing Stone, she pressed the top button.

"Snowflake to base, are you there?" she asks.

A minute passed. Then one minute became two, the five. Snowflake sighed.

"Crazy Lace, if you don't answer I will ice your room again," the gem threatened in a low tone.

"Oh! Hey Snowflake!" Crazy Lace answered, "Whatcha calling for?"

"You know well enough what I am calling for," Snowflake said with an irritated tone.

"Oh, right! The upcoming raid! Yeah, isn't it exciting? Going back out in the field!"

"Is the squad ready?"

Crazy Lace chuckled. "You bet! With us two, Bismuth, and Pearl, we'll take care of those new cuts no problem!"

Snowflake shook her head. How Crazy Lace can actually look forward to a fight is beyond the gem's comprehension. Though, it does make the poor obsidian relax a bit. Keeps her focused on the task at hand than just the large picture.

"Crazy Lace, could you get Rose?" Snowflake requested.

"Sure. Let me get her for you," Crazy Lace replied.

Another three minutes passed. Another three minutes of waiting in silent ambience. Finally, Snowflake got a message from the Quartz herself.

"Hello, Snowflake," Rose greeted.

"Rose. I have a question."

"So you do," she replied with a chuckle.

Snowflake rolled her eyes. The immaturity of this Quartz knows no bounds.

"It's about the human. Have you seen one like it?"

"I have not…"

Snowflake sighed. Dead end so far.

"... but, I have noticed something about it."

'Aha,' Snowflake thought. "Could you tell me what it is?"

"It's the patch," Rose said, "it's not a Homeworld design, nor a tribal insignia. The material its clothing is made out of isn't normal leather or animal hide. It's almost… synthetic."

'Interesting,' Snowflake mused to herself. She made a mental note to see if she could get her hands on the mask it wore when it first arrived.

"By the way," the Quartz continued, "how is our guest?"

Snowflake glanced back out into the desert. "It's taking a walk."

"Keep an eye on it," Rose warned, "it seems it's a slippery little snake, according to the reports Crazy Lace and Pearl gave me."

"Understood," Snowflake responded. She pressed the button again on the Wailing Stone. Turning towards the desert again, she thought about beginning her journey to catch up with the human. It's not like it could sprint indefinitely. By the time she meets the human again, it will be dead beat tired… but at the same time, Snowflake hates the desert.

"I'll give it three hours before it comes back," she said to herself. Three hours is a reasonable time for a human to come back, right?

* * *

Cole crawled towards the cliff's edge, taking out his binoculars. Five hundred meters in full sprint, and barely out of breath. Seems like the Boss's infiltration training course was worth all the early mornings running around Mother Base half-naked. He could still feel his bones soaked to the marrow from the first morning during the thunderstorm.

Then basic CQC training came after, but that's besides the point.

Peering through his optics, Cole began his reconnaissance of the gem outpost. He took note that there were several of those Ruby gems standing guard by the large dome structure, and a much larger orange gem standing in the tower on top of the base. Cole frowned. They didn't seem to move at all, like statues. That will be a problem…

Cole moved his binoculars to the left. There was a strange antenna-like device attached to a computer box. It looked unfinished, but operational.

"That must be the gem detector Snowflake was talking about," he mused to himself, "but what's that?"

A green humanoid came into his view. Slightly taller than the Rubies, the woman with lime-green hair was typing on the holographic console. Cole noticed her gem was on her chest, a peridot. A yellow parallelogram insignia was on her upper arm, and her gem was on her bosom. A peridot by the looks of it.

"Must be a technician of sorts…"

Suddenly, a lightbulb came on in his mind. Putting his binoculars away, he got up from his perch, and began to slide down the hill. Thankfully, it was nighttime. Even though these gems aren't human, they appear to not have very good night vision. The Boss's training regime came into mind again, and thankfully so. Slowing down his descent, Cole dove into the sand. Peering from the dune, he could still see the technician was still working on the detector.

Slowly, he began his creep towards the gem…

* * *

Peridot Facet-5G0Z Cut-3KE was not a happy camper. Being assigned to this awful planet to test out the newly (and shoddily) designed gem detectors, she had many complaints about the job. Firstly, how can there be so many different environments on this rock? First was that strange land with all that white stuff falling from the sky, and now there was nothing but sand everywhere! Peridot grumbled, typing into the damned machine. Having to calibrate this cloddy piece of machinery constantly was an absolute chore! Not to mention how boring it is at these outposts. Go over to command to fix the warp pad, head over to Post Seven to check on base facilities because a Quartz complained about a lag in the messaging, twice! Not to mention checking up on the detectors every cycle, it was absolute torture to the technician.

A hand forced her jaw shut. She felt something poking at her back, something very sharp and cold.

"Don't make a noise," the voice behind her threatened, "Walk with me, otherwise I'll take my time cutting up that gem of yours into a necklace."

Peridot trembled as she was being dragged away from the detector. She didn't know what exactly was happening, or what a necklace was, but it obviously can't be good if it involved her gem.

When they were a good distance away, her attacker threw her to the ground. Her head hit the sand with a soft thud. The attacker pointed its knife right above her chest.

"Quiet voice," it said, "no yelling, no fighting. Give me what I want, and you'll get to see another day."

Peridot tried to look at her attacker's face, but the darkness of the night proved to be too good of a cowl. It didn't help, however, that one of its eyes was glowing an eerie green. A creature of the night.

"W-what do you require, then?" she asked fearfully.

"How many of your buddies are in this encampment?"

"Five Rubies, one Jasper, and me," Peridot answered.

"Where do you keep your information servers?"

"I-I don't know..."

The attacker tapped her gem with its knife. She squirmed as it dragged the blade across the vital crystal.

"Are you sure you don't know?" it asked softly.

"It's probably in the tower, alright!" she shrieked. Her mouth was covered before she could scream again.

"Quiet voices," it reminded her again before letting go of her.

"That's all I know, I swear!" Peridot exclaimed quietly, "There's nothing else of worth I can give to you!"

The ghostly figure took a moment to look at her. Peridot couldn't help but feel that chill down her spine. Was this how the weak organics felt when engaged by a greater, deadlier force?

"I find that hard to believe."

Double clod!

"What else do you want from me?" Peridot asked meekly.

"Your silence."

It plunged its knife into her chest.

Peridot gasped as the blade penetrated her form, before slowly closing her eyes. So this is what being poofed was like…

She couldn't help but smile. At least she won't have to deal with calibrations for a while.

* * *

Cole took a moment to look at the Peridot's gem, sitting in the sand. He couldn't help but feel a little sick. The interrogation could have gone a bit more... humanely.

"Never find pleasure in brutal interrogation," he remembered one of his commanders say, "you'll only torture what's left of yourself."

The story of Paz's and Chico's captivity at Ground Zeros barged though the forefront of his mind.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he turned his attention back to the gem detector. With a quiet step, Cole approached the console. Checking to make sure none of the Rubies decided to patrol the grounds, Cole unscrewed one of the panels to the detector. He was greeted with an array of complex tubes and circuitry.

"Wish I had some C-4," Cole grumbled as he stabbed his knife into one of the tubes. A glowing liquid squirted out from the tube like blood. The detector let out a dying screech. Cole quickly dove away from the machine, then started to crawl towards the dome-like building.

"What was that?" one of the Rubies asked from the.

"I don't know, check it out!" another called out, the sound of a smack following behind.

Cole watched the Ruby pass by him with a snake-like gaze, his eyes not leaving the red gem from his sight. Slowly, he crawled backwards around the building, getting up into a crouch. Cole looked up at the tower. He could see the white flowing mane of the Jasper above hanging over the wall. The soldier could never get why people keep their hair drastically long. It only results in an easier defeat in a combat scenario. Cole slid his hand up the slope of the dome building. He could easily climb up it, but he'd have to be fast to take out the Jasper in the short amount of time, otherwise he wouldn't make it into the tower. Cole really doesn't want reinforcements coming. With a sigh, he took a couple steps back, and sprinted towards the building. With a leap, he found himself halfway up the dome already, much to his suppressed surprise.

With superhuman-like speed, he grabbed the gem's hair, knife already primed for the killing blow. Yanking the mane down, Cole pulled himself up while the Jasper leaned back from the sudden weight change. Jamming the knife into her neck, Cole used his momentum to vault over the wall, landing in a crouch as the Jasper gasped before she poofed. Cole quickly caught the gem before it clattered on the ground.

A pause.

After a few seconds of waiting, Cole set down the gem on the ground and turned towards what appeared to be a computer of sorts. Seeing no way to plug in his iDroid from the console, Cole looked for a panel. He frowned. Nothing that could be opened, as far as he knew.

Cole cursed. He really needed a map of the place!

'I'll just have one of Rose's crew hack it for me,' he concluded, turning his attention to the hatch in the middle of the floor. With a heave, Cole opened the top entrance to the storage. He peered inside. There wasn't much, just some basic metals, spare parts, and medieval weapons inside. Oddly enough, there wasn't anything fuel-like. Perhaps they ran out of whatever they use for energy?

Cole closed the hatch. Something was off.

"Why hasn't the outpost commander reported yet?" a new voice barked from outside.

"I don't know, sir!" one of the Rubies replied.

The soldier peered below the tower. There were two large gems, both of them purple in color. One bore her gem on her right eye, while the other gem had hers on her left shoulder. They both wore the same uniform, yellow parallelogram on their chests. Cole could see the suspicion in their eyes.

"Where's the Peridot?" the gem with one eye asked.

"No idea!"

Both of the Quartzes frowned. Cole felt a small bead of sweat roll down his forehead. Without his gear, he wouldn't be able take on both of them at once. He just has to wait them out…

"Check the building," the gem-eyed Quartz ordered.

Time to bail, then.

Cole turned to the other side. As quietly as he can, he vaulted over the wall, and slid down the building. With a light thud, he landed on the soft sand.

"Huh?"

Cole quickly turned to where the sound came from. Wasting no time, he bolted towards the Ruby to quickly silence her with a knockout punch.

Perhaps a bit too fast.

Suddenly, Cole tumbled forward after he felt his strike landing. Getting up, he quickly glanced around. His eyes widened. He somehow traveled a good fifty meters away from the outpost.

"... Guess that confirms it, then," he muttered to himself, shaking his head to clear the nausea. With a normal sprint, he re-approached the outpost. Slowing down, he dove into a crawl. Cole could hear the gem's frantic cries.

"What was that!?" one of them shrieked.

"Is it the work of an enemy soldier?" another questioned.

"The gem detector has been sabotaged!" the gem-arm Quartz reported.

"The Peridot probably went rogue and let in one of the rebels!" the gem-eye Quartz sneered, "Amethyst Seven, with me! We have a gem to hunt!"

"Roger!"

Cole watched as the two Amethysts ran off towards who knows where. He frowned. What kind of higher ups leave their soldiers to fend for themselves against an enemy attack? Of course, he heard stories from the recruits in Africa about how their XO treated them like shit. Even more surprisingly, Cole realized, that despite this, there isn't a lot more gems in the Rebellion.

He shrugged to himself, crawling towards the outpost. Time to clean house.

* * *

Pearl isn't sure what to expect anymore.

When she and Bismuth finally reached the Homeworld outpost, they were expecting that awful alarm blaring and soldiers rushing to meet them. However, they were greeted with silence, a baron building...

… and the strange human lounging on top of the building.

Cole, as Pearl learned its name from Snowflake, noticed them from the perch.

"You missed the party! All the vodka is gone, but there's leftovers inside!" Cole greeted them.

"... Leftovers?" Pearl questioned, turning to Bismuth. The larger gem shrugged.

"Beats me," Bismuth replied.

Cole slid down the sloped walls of the storage facility, his feet hitting the sand. He tossed a gem at Pearl, who fumbled around trying to catch the sudden projectile. When she succeeded to grasp the rock in her hand, Pearl's eyes widen at the Jasper's poofed form.

"Seriously, though, you guys take too long. I could have taken the next one over if I knew where it was. By the way, there's a couple others inside out of commission."

Bismuth smirked.

"I think we found ourselves a keeper," she whispered to her comrade.

"B-b-but how!?" Pearl asked, "A human shouldn't be able to fight a Jasper in combat with Rubies as support!"

"Who said I fought her and the crew?" Cole asked, "They were as oblivious as a box of rocks… no offense."

"Some taken," Bismuth replied.

Pearl sighed. The walk back to the warp pad was going to be a long one…

* * *

When Peridot awoke, she was greeted by a blinding light.

"Hello, Peridot Facet-5G0Z Cut-3KE… I have some questions for you."

The gem squinted, trying to get a better look at her new interrogator. However, the light was too strong, so she was unable to make out its face. The voice was undoubtfuly a gem's, but with how her tone slithered with charisma and lethality, the Peridot was stuck between running and obediently obeying.

"Sure…" Peridot said.

"Tell me, what was it that you last remember before you were poofed?"

Peridot thought for a moment. "I was… continuing with my rounds with mantaining the gem detectors."

"Without your escorts?"

"I-I wasn't given an escort…"

"Hmm… continue."

Peridot gulped. She did not like how quickly her interrogator dismissed the answer. Regardless, she continued to tell her tale. About the Quartz's complains, about how often the gem detectors failed.

Her attacker.

"... and that's it, so please, can you let me go?" Peridot asked.

Her interrogated laughed.

"Peridot Facet-5G0Z Cut-3KE, you are to be shattered and your shards used in production in revelation that you have shown signs of rebellion. Since you are one of the few that dare to rebel against the Diamond Authority, you will be interrogated with extreme prejudice until we find you worthless whole..."

Peridot felt cold terror down her spine. Was she to be executed?

"... that is, if you deny my offer."

"W-what?" Peridot stuttered.

She could hear the figure's smile.

"Your tale is quite… informative, should I say. An unknown creature attacking outposts? This is information that the Diamonds should reward, not punish. I'll be sure that you won't worry about having your shards stuffed in the next line of Light Cannons. But make no mistake, Peridot Facet-5G0Z Cut-3KE, I will not hesitate to grind you to dust if your work is unsatisfactory. Do we have an understanding?"

Peridot could only nod.

"Good," her interrogator waved its hand dismissively. "Take her away, please."

The Peridot's head suddenly roared in pain as she poofed. A black hand grabbed the gem as it fell.

"What of the Amethysts?" the interrogator asked.

"Eliminated," a voice answered. It was cold and robotic. "No shards remain. Dusted."

"Good. We don't want to reveal ourselves too soon to our enemies. We have a whole empire over us after all..."

The light flashed off.


	4. Chapter 4

" _Audio entry five-hundred and eighty seven…_

 _Today, we went out on another convoy raid. It went without a hitch. The guards were neutralized, we fultoned the cargo back to base, and exfiltrated without a word._

 _The silence still feels strange._

 _Boss held a memorial service today. To those lost in the battle of re-taking an allied PF's Mother Base against the Skulls. Five good men died in battle. More lives lost to the Parasite threat left behind by Skullface._

 _I have another mission, a simple guard job. Protect the VIP. A real scumbag, but a paycheck is a paycheck..._

 _This is Snow Falcon, signing off."_

\- Audio journal recorded by Snow Falcon.

 **DIAMOND GEAR SOLID**

 **EPISODE 1**

 **CHAPTER 3:** ONE SMALL STEP, ONE BIGG LEAP

 **Starring: "Little Bat" Cole, Rose Quartz, The Defective Pearl, Snowflake Obsidian, Crazy Lace Agate, Bismuth.**

 **Guest Starring: Biggs Jasper**

 **Enemy Combatants: Yellow Diamond Supplement Combat Platoon.**

Pearl stood at the ready. With her sword pointed upright as her right arm hugged her chest, she took a deep, calming breath. While unnecessary for a gem to breath, Pearl found that this helps focus her scattered mind into a sharp weapon.

She exhaled, her posture lowering to a crouch, her sword pointed towards her target. With a lunge, she swung downwards at her foe.

The opponent back stepped out of the way, gracefully landing a few feet back of where it once stood. It counterattacked, slicing at Pearl's abdomen.

Pearl knocked away the offending blade, throwing her foe off balance. With a leg sweep, she knocked the attacker down and thrusted her sword into its chest. With the hostile eliminated, Pearl slowly rose from her spot. A quick stroke to clean off the blade, Pearl stood triumphantly in the makeshift arena.

"Nice form," a voice called out from one of the crates, "but you can only get so much experience from shadow boxing."

Pearl sighed. "Cole, what are you doing here?"

At the mention of his name, the human (if he could be considered such) appeared from the shadows. His uniform was stripped bare of any unnecessary belts, holsters, and tubes. He wore no mask, but for some reason he had tied a piece of cloth over his head to cover the left eye. His hair was greying, but he still maintained a youthful complexion.

"I was bored waiting for Bismuth to see if she can replicate ammo for my gear, so I decided to see what everyone was up to," he said.

"By that, you mean to irritate me, right?" Pearl asked.

Cole shrugged, "Isn't that what comrades do?"

Pearl scoffed. Comrade, Cole? Of course, he does (or rather, will) have uses, but he's still an organic! By the time this war ends, he'll be reduced to mud and dust, taken by age. Why waste the time?

"Pearl, you're zoning off again…"

"I know!" she snapped.

Cole raised his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, I get it. Getting salty. I'll just leave you be, then."

With that, the human left the room, leaving Pearl alone inside. This was common now these days, where Cole would somehow get on her nerves and she'd start to simmer in irritation. He wasn't quite on the anger stage like Crazy Lace, but he's making a fast track there. It doesn't help much that Rose is treating him like he came out of the Kindergarten she was made in.

Pearl looked at her sword. With a sigh, she stored it back in her gem.

The gem made her way out of the room, traversing the hallways of the underground temple. Despite how crude the base currently was, Pearl tried her best to make it as neat and orderly as she could with the small building supplies they had.

'At least,' she thought, 'this is better than Rose's first home,'

"Pearl?"

Pearl whipped her head around to greet _that_ voice.

"Rose!" she said, quickly kneeling on reflex.

"Please stand Pearl," Rose said with an awkward smile, "You're making me somewhat uncomfortable."

"S-Sorry!" Pearl stammered. As she stood back up on her two feet, she noticed her leader's odd demeanor. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Somewhat. It's for a mission..."

Pearl could feel the excitement rise in her chest. Was it another outpost raid? Were they going to attack a Quartz convoy? A battle in the Sky Arena?

"Would you like me to be ready, Rose?" Pearl asked.

"No."

Just like that, Pearl felt her entire body deflate.

"Oh… is it a mission for the others gems, then?"

Rose shook her head. "I need to find Cole. Have you seen him anywhere?"

Pearl bit back a growl. "He's probably heading back to the Forge to see if Bismuth has those bullet things for his gun."

Whenever the gem thought about those strange weapons Cole brought with him, she felt a slight sense of repulsion. Sure, they were useful tools in combat, able to poof a gem with ease, but the large one was loud and clunky, not to mention wasteful with ammo. The smaller gun, a "pistol" as Cole called it, was somewhat more appealing as it required more skill to use, and nearly silent. Though, it doesn't beat the thrill and honor of face to face combat.

"I just came from the Forge. He wasn't there," Rose said.

"Then I don't know where that human is," Pearl snidely huffed.

Rose sighed. "Very well. I suppose I should look for him elsewhere. Take care, my Pearl."

With that, Rose left, leaving the skinny gem behind. Pearl shook her head. Why does Rose even bother? Cole's not immortal like gems. He can't live forever! Yet, Rose seems to care for the human!

Pearl growled. She tolerates his presence for now. Treat him like an _acquaintance_ , but if he thinks that they are "friends"...

Pearl's anger started to claw its way out.

"Back to the practice room, then…" she hissed before returning to her little domain.

* * *

"... and then, she yells at me because I was using the fountain water for my shower! It's not like I was bathing in the damned thing, just to grab some water with the bucket! Besides, she was the one who yelled at me that I smelled!" Cole complained.

"That's Pearl for you. Don't blame her too much, she does come from a sophisticated and complicated background," Crazy Lace said as she attempted to knock Cole to the ground with a basic leg sweep.

Cole countered, stepping back and shifting his weight to his back foot. With Crazy Lace's balance off, he slammed her to the ground.

"Still, that doesn't give her an excuse to be an ass," he muttered, extending a hand out to help the gem up.

Crazy Lace grabbed his arm and pulled herself up. Despite the construct of gems, they do get tired in combat. The gem was slightly wobbly from all the sparring both combatants inflicted upon each other. Yet, Cole was barely out of sweat.

"I'm impressed," she managed to pant out, "how do you manage to pull off those fancy moves of yours?"

"Fancy?" Cole said with confusion, "It's not fancy. It's basic CQC."

"I know what it is! It's just so…" Crazy Lace flailed her arms to imitate the movements of Cole. " It's so advanced! No gem could react and counter like that!"

"Although, Bismuth seems able to get out of grapples that a normal gem can't get out of," Cole noted.

Crazy Lace laughed. "Of course! Bismuths have to be able to shapeshift in Homeworld's system, otherwise they're next to useless as builders!" she exclaimed, before quickly putting a hand to her mouth to silence herself. "Don't tell Bismuth I told you that, alright? She's a little sensitive about the caste system..."

Cole nodded. Crazy Lace sighed with relief.

"Want to go again?" the soldier asked.

"No thanks," Crazy Lace replied, "I'll just see if I can summon my weapon. I've been wanting to see what it is, so… see you later!"

As Crazy Lace waved back at Cole while running off towards the southern hallways, the soldier took the time to sit down on one of the supply crates. The room itself was unfinished, with bits and pieces still missing, but it was still quite breathtaking to Cole. It reminded him of one of the few vacations he took with the Diamond Dogs to Greece, seeing all the marble and stone built together in elegant forms.

Footsteps tapped behind him, growing closer with each step.

"Rose," he said, getting up to salute his temporary commander.

"Cole," Rose said, giving him a small bow of her head. "How are you?"

"Good, ma'am," Cole replied. He brought his hand down at ease. "What can I do for you?"

Rose smiled. "Nothing for me, thank you, but…" she paused, the sighed, "I have received a transmission from a gem trying to defect from Homeworld, but the transmission was cut off…"

"Let me guess," Cole said, "you want me to go find this gem and rescue her from captors?"

Rose nodded. "I know you're still settling in and you just got back from a mission, but-"

"No, it's fine!" Cole exclaimed, "I need to get back out in the field. I'll be at the warp pad around noon, I have to get my gear."

"Thank you, Cole. I'll send for Snowflake."

"No problem, Rose."

Cole saluted Rose goodbye before sprinting off. Traversing the long passageways, Cole finally came to his small little room. Opening the wooden door (he insisted for it to be made of oak, mainly because he can't stand looking at stone all around), Cole was greeted with the smell of jerky and oil. A old Homeworld curtain was bunched up in a ball in the right corner, the fabric torn and bleached from long exposure to a supernova, so he was told. It still made a good cot to sleep on. Cole thought about making a hammock, but he never really had the time nor the tools to do so.

The Diamond Dog grabbed his belts and holsters, strapping them on as tight as he can. Removing his makeshift eyepatch, he slid the first part of the mask over his head, then the gas mask. Cole's nostrils protested the sweaty stench the clothing gave, so he made a mental note to wash up his uniform after he comes back.

With his knife in its sheath and a pistol loaded with lethal rounds (since gems do not need to and cannot be tranquilized with his current drugs to be incapacitated without death), Cole exited his room. He strode down the hall until he found the main hub. Snowflake was waiting for him there, standing on the warp pad. She had become his field support of sorts. Human and other non-gems can't use warp pads, so Cole has to have a gem come with him when he has to go on missions (Pearl never volunteered, and to be frank, Cole didn't want to choose her as a partner, either). Of course, they weren't any big ones like taking out a command fortress or engaging in open combat with Homeworld forces, but he had proven useful for clearing outposts and sabotaging gem detectors so the Rebellion can get in and take the supplies. Though, it made him feel disappointed that he can't fulton the materials himself.

"Are you ready?" Snowflake asked.

Cole nodded, stepping up on the Warp Pad. He cocked his pistol, chambering a bullet. The warp pad hummed, a bright flash blinded Cole. A _pop_ followed soon after. Cole found himself in a small cave, the entrance covered with brush for camouflage. The humid air heavy in his lungs.

He pulled up his iDroid, revealing a map of the jungly area. Cole has to thank Snowflake later for getting him a map of the areas he's operating in. A marker pinged on the holographic display.

"Is that where the transmission was last sent?" Cole asked, pointing to the yellow square.

"Yes. Your target is a Jasper, more specifically a Biggs Jasper," Snowflake said, "They're known to be heavy hitters and tough to take down, more so than their orange sisters… but they're also more aggressive, so watch out."

Cole rolled his eyes. "Right, watch her buttons, and don't end up in medical bay, got it."

"Your sayings still confuse me. What buttons?"

"Nevermind… oh, wait! Here."

Cole handed Snowflake a small device. She took it gingerly.

"Put that in your ear," Cole explained, "then we'll be able to communicate while I'm on the field. I found it while I was checking my iDroid compartment for… things."

The gem stuck it in her ear, looping the small hook around her outer holo-cartilage. Pressing the button on its side, a soft beep echoed.

"I see. Handy to have communication between base and soldiers without enemies being able to hear unlike wailing stones. Mush find a way to replicate…" Snowflake drifted off for a moment before turning to Cole. "Find the Biggs Jasper before Homeworld shatters her. She's counting on you."

"Wouldn't be the first time I've kept a woman waiting," Cole said. He turned towards the jungle.

 _Ka-Boom!_

The muffled explosion of the Parasite's near-impossible sprint echoed in the cave as Cole left a trail of dirt and leaves everywhere. Snowflake's hair was forced back from the shockwave.

"... Most definitely not human," she noted. With a sigh, Snowflake sat down in a meditative stance. Might as well get some practice with her own powers.

The air around her grew colder. She smiled.

* * *

Cole panted, trying to catch his breath. Leaning against the tree, he rubbed his legs. They were sore to no end from all of the Parasite running. He had to stop himself from hurling. Cole forgot that he shouldn't eat anything before he used this new ability, seeing how his body isn't completely adapted to the changes.

"Wonder if I'll be able to photosynthesize like Quiet…" he mused to himself. Cole checked his iDroid. He was almost to the transmission's location. With a smirk, the soldier continued his trek in the jungle.

The birds grew silent. They fluttered in the air, the wing beats echoing in the canopy.

Cole dove into the brush as the footsteps grew closer, clomping in the mud. An orange Jasper growled, the gem on her shoulder shook with her voice.

"Come out!" she barked, "I know you're here, defect! Make this easy for yourself, and I'll just shatter you here and now!"

Cole slowly crawled through the ferns and fallen vines. Seems like he might be able to find Biggs before she's taken by Homeworld.

Suddenly, a spear lodged itself in front of Cole, an orange Jasper sneering above him.

"..." Cole remained silent, watching her while staying absolutely still.

"Odd little runt, aren't you?" she asked with her nostrils flared open. The Jasper lodged her polearm out of the ground.

'Yup, she sees me,' Cole thought.

With haste, Cole rolled out of the way as the Jasper jammed the spear into the dirt which Cole once laid. He shot up, his arms raised in the basic CQC stance. He motioned to the Jasper with his hand, beckoning her towards him.

With a battlecry, the Jasper lunged at Cole, attempting to impale him on the large stick. Striking the spear to the side, Cole followed up with a heavy punch into her jaw. The Jasper rolled with the punch, sweeping the spear down towards Cole's legs. He quickly hopped back and over.

"Not bad for a freaky looking gem," the Jasper said, "most whelps usually get caught by the follow up."

Cole didn't respond verbally. Instead, he beckoned the gem with a mocking gesture.

The Jasper grunted. "Fine by me!"

She charged again. Cole dove out of the way.

 _THUNK!_

The spear lodged itself in the tree. With the Jasper's back now turned towards Cole, the soldier quickly pulled out his knife and leapt towards the gem. He felt the blade dig into her projected body.

"Gah!" she cried out before she poofed. Her spear still stuck in the tree.

Cole took a moment to look at his iDroid. He was only ten meters from the spot the transmission was sent.

No Biggs Jasper.

 _SNAP!_

"Eep!"

Cole turned towards where the sounds came from. A skinny pink gem stood by one of the large trees, her frail arms wrapped around the trunk. It was like a mouse was trying to hug an elephant. Her ballerina-like uniform was lightly damaged, her pink hair messy and dirty. Cole could see her gem on her lower back, a round pearl with that rosy blush her body glows with.

He took a step forward. The pearl quickly stumbled back.

"Easy," he said as softly as he could, "I'm not going to hurt you." Cole emphasized this point by setting his knife on the ground, then raised his hands to his head, palms towards the gem.

Slowly, the pearl approached Cole, standing up straighter as she got closer. The gem inspected Cole, walking around him gingerly, her eyes scanning his body.

'Look, but don't touch,' Cole quipped in his head, 'you gotta pay the premium for that.'

The pearl stopped in front of him. Suddenly, she lowered her upper body in a submissive bow.

"Thank you for saving me!" she said.

To her visible surprise, Cole bowed in a similar fashion, his fist wrapped in his hand.

"There is no need for thanks, but it's gratifying to know that I'm worth something," Cole replied.

When the soldier looked up, he noticed the pearl was… blushing? Cole couldn't really tell. Was it the sunlight shifting towards the noon hour making her pink skin darker? Either way, he still had a mission to do, and he really, really, _really_ wants to get back to base to work on his armaments. Bismuth should have the a small test batch of bullets to test by today.

"Snowflake, this is Little Bat," Cole said into his iDroid, "I have a escapee here from what would probably be a nearby base. A pink pearl, gem on the lower back. Can I get an extraction here?"

"I don't understand why you use that code name," Snowflake replied through the static channel.

"Just answer the damned question already," Cole snapped.

"Yes, I can. How's the search for the Biggs Jasper?"

"Hold on," Cole turned towards the pearl, "is there a base nearby?"

The pearl nodded her head, pointing her finger finger to the south. "I came from that way… a Quartz barracks."

"Thanks," Cole thanked the pearl before going back to his previous conversation. "I think I've got a lead on her. We'll meet here where I am at right now. Little Bat out."

The soldier put away his iDroid. He turned to the pearl. The gem trembled, her breath irregular in gasps and… tears?

'Crap, she's breaking down!' Cole thought. Without thinking, he grabbed the pearl by the shoulders. "Look at me, hey, look at me!"

"They took her!" she cried, collapsing on her knees, "She broke me out! Now she'll be shattered! It's my fault, if I wasn't so defective… if I hadn't..."

Cole muffled her cries with a tight embrace. His body against hers in a hug. Her tears dampened the uniform, but Cole didn't care. He was the soldier, she was the civilian caught in the crossfire of a war.

It was as if fate loves to make his life more ironic.

Slowly, the pearl's cries faded to sniffling. She pushed herself away from Cole. There were still tears in her eyes, but her shakiness was gone.

"They took her…" she sniffled, wiping away the remaining moisture.

"I know," Cole said softly, "and I'll find her, Margaret."

The pearl tilted her head. "Margaret?"

"It means 'pearl'. I already know a gem named Pearl, and I really don't want to get confused." Cole explained.

The now dubbed Margaret gasped. "The Terrifying Renegade Pearl?"

"... I guess?" Cole wasn't made aware of his comrade's nom de guerre. Guess he'll have to ask about that later (the more politically correct term, however, is "giving her shit"). "Look, I'll have a friend come take you somewhere safe, alright? She'll have a black and blue gem on her forehead. Her name is Snowflake."

Margaret nodded. "Okay… but one more question."

The gem stared directly into Cole's eyes… well, she would if there wasn't that mask in the way.

"What are you?"

Cole gave a thumbs up. "A soldier without borders."

With that, Cole took off to the south. Gone in a explosion of sound, his Parasite-powered legs left the gem in the dust.

* * *

Crazy Lace entered the sweltering chamber. The despite lava illuminating the workshop, it still looked as dark as night. Bins of metals lined one side of the wall while weapons such as sword, axes, shields, and spears covered the other. There wasn't much of an armory, but it was sufficient for the small force using these weapons.

Bismuth was pounding away at the new addition to the family. It was a fusion of a cutlass and a broadsword, the blade shone like pink glass. While without a hilt or a guard, Crazy Lace could tell it was going to be a very beautiful sword. A symbol of the Rebellion's power.

"Hey, Crazy Legs," Bismuth greeted her comrade, "could you wait just a minute? I'm almost done with this."

"Sure," she replied. Watching patiently, Crazy Lace's eyes gazed upon the craftsmanship of the blacksmith. Bismuth inserted the sword into the barrel of water, the material sizzling off the moisture. Taking it out, Bismuth looped two chains around each end, and hoisted it up to the ceiling. She wiped her brow with her hammer hand. Her limb shifted back into the normal digits as she leaned over her anvil.

"What's up, girl?" Bismuth asked.

Crazy Lace chuckled. "Not much. Snowflake and Cole are out on a mission, Pearl is being… Pearl, and-"

"She caught you practicing in her fountain again, didn't she?" came the deadpan reply.

Crazy Lace nodded her head.

Bismuth sighed. "You know she hates that. If I didn't know better, I'd say you have it out for the gem. You and that… human."

The underlying tone of Bismuth's referral to Cole wasn't entirely out of place. Crazy Lace, despite her openness to the organic, had a small amount of trepidation when around him. It wasn't like she was afraid of his abilities, but more of where his abilities come from. He hadn't explained how he was able to run a good amount of distance with the speed that no gem could reproduce. Not only that, Pearl's and Rose's account of first contact with "the ghost" was equally as spooky. Strange mist appearing? Armor as black as space and harder than steel? These facts creeped out the Rebellion gems that such a creature could exist. Save for Snowflake, but that's a given due to her gem's job in the hierarchy of Homeworld.

The disturbing factor increased when Crazy and Bismuth witnessed the strange breakdown at the entrance of the Forge.

" _I'm one of them! I'm one of them!"_

Crazy Lace dared not to ask who "them" was, but a lingering question tugged in her mind: What is a Skullface?

The orange gem blinked as a large blue hand waved in front of her face.

"Planet to Crazy, planet to Crazy, are you there?" Bismuth asked.

"Ah! Sorry," Crazy Lace apologized, "I was lost in thought…"

The bigger gem crossed her arms. "Mhm. Well, since I'm done with Rose's weapon for now, you want to see the other project I'm working on?"

"Sure!" Crazy Lace exclaimed.

Bismuth smiled as she wandered over to the back of the room. With a one handed heave, the blacksmith opened the stone chest. With her free hand, she sifted around the box, metals scraping against each other and clacking. Finally, she pulled out a long, icy blade. It was large, and the edge was sharpened on the inside of the curve.

"This," Bismuth began, "is one of the few weapon attachments I got going for the gang. You know Snowflake's weapon is a polearm, right?"

"... Yeah," Crazy Lace said.

"This baby will turn her blunt stick into a gem-poofing machine," Bismuth said, "and I'm getting some more ideas made, but until I know what your weapon is, I can't do much."

"Oh, that sounds cool."

"I know right? I was wanting to put blades on Rose's shield, but she didn't like the idea. I don't blame her, they're pretty wicked looking." On cue, she tossed out a chain of small blades. They clattered on the ground in front of Crazy Lace. She nudged it with her foot.

"Guess that's why she asked for the sword, then," Crazy Lace said.

"Indeed," Bismuth said, looking up at the pink blade, "the new metal from the Cutter is an odd one, but perfect for Rose's specifications. By the time I'm done, it will be able to poof a gem without effort, but never shatter. No matter how hard you swing it."

Crazy Lace sighed. "Must be nice to have your own custom weapons, huh?"

Bismuth pulled the orange gem into a headlock-hug fusion. "Don't you worry, Crazy Legs, you'll summon your weapon soon enough! Just keep training, and it will pop out of that gem soon enough!"

The orange gem laughed as she tried to get out of the bulky grip. "You're right, you're right! Could you let me go now?"

Bismuth released Crazy Lace. "Now go talk to Rose, see if she needs help with whatever she does when she's not out giving it to Homeworld."

"Right," Crazy Lace said. With a wave, she left the Forge. Looking up, the mix of the grey clouds and the sunlight penetrating the sky in holy beams shone down on the landscape. The gem felt a sense of peace… albeit, a shaky one. Her hand unconsciously slid down to her gem. Her finger ran across the glassy stone. She sighed before getting on the warp pad. The light took her in a flash.

* * *

'I hope I didn't sound cheesy back there,' the soldier mused in thought, 'it was good at the time…'

Cole peered in his binoculars. It was nighttime, and after a good stakeout underneath the foliage, he had a pretty good idea on what to expect. Lots and lots of Quartzes. Apparently, from the looks of quality of buildings and the myriads of Jaspers and the occasional Amethyst, this was a Quartz deployment and barrack base. Patrols of two would come in to be replaced by another two Quartzes, who would surrender their weapons for repairs. Then, they debrief and enjoy a small break. There were some who, oddly enough, take naps during this period instead of sparring with the other warriors. Seems like gems are more human-like than he thought.

The moon shone above as most of the gems left to go on patrol. From a intel update courtesy of Snowflake, Rose decided to strike a nearby supply depot with Pearl. So only a fourth of the population are currently residing in the fortress. While Homeworld are out on a gem hunt, the Rebellion will catch them with their pants down tonight… well the "ghost" would, anyhow. Cole put away his binoculars. It was time to execute.

Sliding down the cliffside, Cole began his trek to the fortress's walls. He gazed up the stone. Perhaps he could jump over the wall?

'No,' Cole thought, 'I would be heard. Besides, I don't think I'm quite ready for that stuff.'

Cole crept along the stone towards the main gate. He peeked from behind the corner. There were two Jaspers guarding the entryway, each armed with a spear. They stood as still as statues, watching over the small clearing leading into the base. Cole scooped up a small rock, aiming it at one of the trees. He chucked it, the stone hurled over the heads of the Jaspers, making a loud " _Thunk!"_ as it hit one of the trees deep in the forest. The two turned to face the sound, spears at the ready.

"What was that?" one of the Jaspers asked.

"Let's check it out," the other replied, "Rose could wander over here as our sisters push this abomination of a organic horde."

They disappeared into the thick vegetation. Cole took the opportunity to sneak right in the front door. He quickly dove to the ground, crawling along the wall where the remaining plants provided him some cover. The shadows were held at bay by the gem lights that illuminated every pathway of the base. Knowing this, Cole moved between the backs of the buildings, where darkness could thrive hiding from the centralized lights.

Speaking of which, there was a small crowd of gems forming in the center plaza, the main focus was two heavily armored Amethysts with large halberds standing at attention. They stood upon a platform of sorts, raised slightly for the gems to get a good look.

A execution stage.

Cole cursed silently. There was no way he would be able to get the target out in one piece if she was placed on the stand in the light. If he wanted to go loud Rambo guns-a-blazing, he would have brought his damned assault rifle!

He ducked back behind the building as two Jaspers walked past.

"Why do we have all those explosives in the armory?" one of them asked, "We're not a mining operation!"

"I don't know, ask the armorer! Look, for whatever reason, they are here, and you shouldn't touch them," the second replied.

Explosives? Cole grinned. Maybe he _can_ make this work. Hell, he could even snag some new gear for later missions that require a more… destructive touch.

A few minutes of stalking across the grounds, Cole came acrossed the main armory workshop. Unfortunately, there was no windows to crawl through, but there was a side door. Cole slowly pushed the metal door open. The steel barely squeaked, a sign of constant maintenance. The interior was well lit, but shadows leaned out from each crate like dark-clothed figures. With trepidation, Cole crept inside. He drew his gun from his holster, the safety already off. He checked every open container for some sort of explosive device. Most of the items inside each crate was spare metal or weapon parts. However, there were a few interesting boxes labeled "Light Cannon" on the sides. Cole pulled out his iDroid to take a picture of it. Who knows, it might be important information for later.

The front door slammed shut.

Cole quickly hid behind one of the crates as a Peridot and Amethyst walked by. Their footsteps stopped abruptly right in front of his hiding spot.

"I can't believe I have to follow you around like some Pearl," the Amethyst grumbled, "it's humiliating!"

"Believe me, I share the same sentiment," the Peridot snarkily replied.

"If it wasn't Lemon's direct orders to protect you so we can set up the explosives, I'd have you crushed for that backtalk," the purple gem threatened.

The Peridot gulped. "R-right… forget I said anything, then."

Cole took aim at the Amethyst's head. The beads lined up perfectly to the center of her cranium. Slowly, he squeezed the trigger.

The Amethyst suddenly turned her head, her gem now in the kill range.

 _Pfft._

 _CRACK!_

Like glass, the gemstone on her forehead splintered and cracked like a window. She staggered back before poofing. Shards clattered on the floor.

"Oh my stars!" the Peridot screamed. Cole quickly vaulted over the crate and tackled the Peridot. He pointed the pistol over her gem, located on her back.

"Where are the explosives?" he asked.

"S-she just got shattered…" the Peridot whimpered.

"And you'll end up like her unless you answer my question, runt," Cole said in a cold monotone. To emphasize this point, he poked her gemstone with the barrel of his gun.

"I-in section three, by the new blueprints," she whimpered, "please, don't kill me! I'm not a fighter, and I don't deserve to be shattered!"

"Mimicking the prisoners, are we?"

The Peridot grew silent. Cole sighed, unsheathed his knife, and stabbed her in the neck, poofing her. He kicked her gem under a nearby workbench, along with the remaining shards of the Amethyst.

"See you, Huey," Cole said bitterly. He then turned his attention to the map hanging on the wall. With the new information, Cole made his way to section three, passing by medieval weapons and strange devices. Finally, he found what he was looking for: a large box of high explosive charges. They were grey, with a strange red powder visibly seen in the glassy tubes. Cole grabbed some and pocketed them along with the detonator. Glancing over the blueprints, he could make out how to arm the devices even though the writing was absolute garbage. Apparently, gems use a very broken and messy Russian as their written language. Cole glanced over the other blueprints, trying to find some good ones. He grabbed one showing how to make more of these explosives, and another showing a very interesting transportation system involving artificial bubbling. Cole didn't have the time to scan them all, however, as an announcement played out on the intercom.

"Execution of traitors will commence shortly. Attendance is mandatory."

"Well now," Cole said with a grin, "guess I should set up the surprise then?"

* * *

Pearl Facet- no, Margaret waited. The jungle sang its symphony of wild bird caws and insect buzzes. It has been several Earth hours since that stranger left her here after saving her. What is taking this Snowflake so long?

Margaret sighed. She was cold, the Jasper's gem was under a pile of rocks right next to her ready to reform at any time, and it's dark! The gem had a newfound respect to the Quartz soldiers who can weather these situations like they were just a minor inconvenience!

 _Snap!_

"Who's there?" she asked frantically, "Are you Snowflake?" Bushes rustled in the now-silent jungle. Like all the animals were afraid, trying to hide. Just like her.

" _Grrrooooowl..."_

A creature stalked out of the brush. Its coat was as black as night, and its eyes glowed like yellow lights. Sharp ivory teeth shone under the moonlight as the creature's lips parted into a snarl.

Margaret stumbled back, shocked by the sudden appearance. Slowly, she crawled backwards to gain some distance from the creature. It continued its advance.

"S-stay back!" she shouted. Her back was to the tree now. She had nowhere to escape to. Trapped.

Margaret closed her eyes. Is this how it was going to end? Shattered by an Earth creature?

She waited for the end...

… but it didn't come.

Slowly, Margaret opened her eyes, just as the creature nuzzled its head to her own, making strange vibrations. The pitch black fur soft and warm on her skin as it brushed past. The gem was visibly confused, but somehow… calmed by the presence of this beast.

Suddenly, the creature turned its head into the woods, before bolting in the other direction.

"Hey!" Margaret called out. "Where are you going?"

"Towards you," a voice replied.

Margaret snapped her head towards the sound. "Are you Snowflake?"

Snowflake stepped out from the brush. "Indeed I am," she said with a tone that unnerved the Pearl to no end. It was like liquid cold being held back by a foggy glass dam, and that there was something watching her from the other side.

"Let's go," Snowflake beckoned for Margaret to follow. Reluctantly, she did, but not before taking a quick glance back to where that beast ran off to.

Through the darkness, she still felt like she was being watched.

* * *

It was time.

A Jasper slammed her mallet against the gong as the Amethysts lead the chained prisoners to the plaza. There were three captives. The first one, a Ruby with her gem on her forehead, quivered in fear at the sight of the executioner's hammer wielded by the armored gem. The second, a Peridot with her gem on her arm, was sullen and depressed as if she has accepted her fate. The third, who bore a gem upon her chest, however…

"When I get out of these chains," the Biggs Jasper shouted, "I'll punch you so hard your gem will spill out the Injector juice used to make you!"

… was quite livid.

"Silence, defect!" the executioner barked.

"Try me!" Biggs retorted.

One of the Amethysts whacked Biggs behind her head. The gem growled, lashing out to grab her attacker. Two swords were pointed at her throat before she could even reach an inch.

"You will do well by our Diamond to hear your sentence!" the executioner ordered, "Bring her here! She will be first!"

"You better! I'm the biggest threat to your sorry stone, you clod!"

The crowd gasped.

The Amethysts dragged Biggs to the platform. She was then laid out, facing the sky and bound in chains. Her executioner looming above.

"Biggs Jasper Cut-H8T Facet 3U2D, you have been found guilty of aiding defective gems from being repurposed for our glorious Diamonds' Will. Not only that, you have been caught trying to defect from Homeworld, and by default, your Diamond, Yellow Diamond to the traitor known as Rose Quartz. As a Quartz soldier turned traitor, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"At least I won't have it listen to your annoying rant after this! Hit me with that hammer if you have the strength to shatter my gem!"

"So be it."

The executioner raised her hammer. The crowd watched in anticipation, the suspense agonizing as the weapon reached the peak of its arc. Biggs's fellow Quartz soldiers remorselessly followed the hammer as it descended. Biggs closed her eyes, hoping that the Pink Pearl got out safely.

 _THUD!_

The platform shook as the head of the hammer slammed into the platform. The executioner's gem clattering the the ground as an explosion jolted the ground like an earthquake. Buildings rattled as gems stumbled to get their footing on the shaky earth. Darkness stormed the plaza, the only resistance to the advance of shadows was the fireballs erupting from the armory and the power generator.

"Battle positions!" one of the Jaspers shouted amongst the panicked warriors. They scrambled to gather whatever weapons were remaining from the personal barracks. With devastating results, as one unlucky gem found out when she triggered the makeshift tripwire mine. When she heard the pin drop, it was already too late for her and her squad. Engulfed by flames and shrapnel, the bombs poofed many. Perhaps even cracked and shattered several gems.

Biggs felt a hand press down on her shoulder. She turned to look at who would dare touch her. Looking at its face, Biggs was confused at the strange features present on the figure.

"Sorry about this," the figure said as it brandished a knife, sticking the blade into her neck and splitting it open from one side to another. Before the world went dark, Biggs had one single thought:

"What just happened?"

* * *

Cole looked back at the smoldering wreckage of the fortress. The voices of the remaining gems trying fruitlessly to put out the fires echoed into the night. Flames reached up to the sky, burning anything it can touch with its hot tendrils of orange and red. Smoke bellowed in pillars. All in all, the base looked like it was in absolute ruin.

The Diamond Dog quickly pulled out his iDroid to update his score, a habit he had with some of the other squads back on his Earth.

"Snowflake, this is Little Bat. I have the Biggs Jasper and the other prisoners," he said while holding the brown gem in his hand.

"Good. Bring them back to the warp pad," she replied.

"Did you get Margaret?"

"If you mean by the Pink Pearl, then yes. I did not forget her."

Cole sighed with relief. "That's good. Any word from Rose?"

"She said that Homeworld's forces pulled back from searching for her and Pearl," Snowflake said. There was moment of silence before she spoke again. "You wouldn't have anything to do with that, would you?" she asked.

Cole laughed as another explosion rang out from the fortress behind him. "What makes you say that?"

"... Just get back here."

"Roger," Cole said. He put his iDroid away, looking back at the fortress one more time. Guess he'll decide on if he'll enjoy this or not after Homeworld gets their report that one of their barracks was blown to smithereens. Despite how simple minded their war tactics are, gems have the ability to develop new technology. Looking through each of the blueprints that he had scanned, the soldier could only smile sadly. Cole just hoped that they are nothing like humans in terms of warfare development…

* * *

Useless.

"Commander! We're getting more reports on the base lost in sector four!"

Utterly incompetent.

"Total loss on all supplies. There's nothing to salvage."

Completely worthless!

"Around twelve percent of all Quartzes are now unfit for combat. Half of them are no longer with us."

By her Diamond, this is ridiculous. These are Quartz soldiers they were talking about, not Rubies! Under her command, no less.

"What do you want us to do, Commander?"

"For starters," Lemon Quartz sneered, "you could shut up and let me think!"

"Of course…" a Peridot said meekly. Lemon snorted in amusement. Despite the Peridot gems being useful at anything with technology, either building or maintaining, they were mostly spineless cowards with a pride that could lead to instant termination if not properly restrained.

However, her mind wasn't seething with rage at her technicians. It was more so than the thing that managed to destroy her barracks. One of the survivors claimed an invisible sword struck down the executioner without a sound. Another said that it was a creature of the void, able to shatter gems in fiery explosions with just its mind. They were just rumors; the Peridot that was tasked to check on the explosives for Operation U-238 reported that she was attacked by a cold, calculating villain that shattered a Amethyst without remorse. It was looking for the bombs. Did the Rebellion have a new weapon, a gem that could silently take out outposts? No, there was only one kind of gem that can do that...

Lemon Quartz sighed. She only had more questions than answers. The yellow gem brushed off her long duster coat of the same color. Why does this planet seem to hate gemkind? At first, the small incidents were nothing to be concerned about with the gems made from Earth Kindergartens. Now? The elite Quartz would have the old her shattered for failing to see the bigger plot. Rose Quartz is a traitor that needed to be brought down, by Lemon's hand or another's. A shame, but a necessary evil.

Her console beeped. Lemon pressed a button.

"This is Nephrite Cut-4P3 Facet-Q0D1 requesting permission to land," the pilot said.

"State your purpose," Lemon replied, "and why are you on my private channel?"

"Transport of a Code Zero passenger."

Lemon's hand tensed up. "Understood. You may proceed to land."

The comm went silent. Lemon rose from her chair, and left the command bridge in haste. Needless to say, many of the gems she passed were confused on why their commander was heading towards the docking bay.

If they only knew…

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes:**_ So, um… yeah. This is a thing now. As you can guess from the other three chapters, I really don't really want to do this kind of thing. Mainly because I really want to go for a quality of work similar to _Team Universe_ times ten (You should check it out if you're a fan of TF2 and Steven Universe). That, and I don't want to spoil anything about the story… even though I really want to. This is an actual project I'm excited to work on. So… leave a review, I guess?

Yeah. Leave one of those. Questions, comments, criticisms, puns, I'll take them. I'm not someone with a itchy "triggered" finger. Aaaayyee... that was good one and you know it!

Anyhow, have a good day, and Merry Thanks-mas. Or was it Happy Christ-giving? Eh, who cares?

See you next chapter!


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